Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Merida, Venezuela

Name: Merida
Address: Merida, VE

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $814 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Merida

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Merida

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Merida actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $814 in Merida, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Merida $814

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,415 in Merida, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Merida $1,415

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $2,015 in Merida, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Merida $2,015

Phuket costs about 59% more than Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Merida are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Merida 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$12.12 VES 10.8K

-63.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$58.9 VES 52.6K

-45.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$11.14 VES 9,947

-21.90%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$2.44 VES 2,180

11.48%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 ฿31.06

$2.14 VES 1,906

-56.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$1.31 VES 1,167

-61.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$2.04 VES 1,819

24.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$2.96 VES 2,647

22.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.05 VES 1,826

-15.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$3.26 VES 2,906

-55.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$1.92 VES 1,716

-21.87%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$2.50 VES 2,236

-13.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$6.78 VES 6,049

181.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$7.84 VES 7,001

-56.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$7.60 VES 6,786

43.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$5.02 VES 4,484

-41.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.40 VES 1,249

20.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$2.80 VES 2,502

-21.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$2.27 VES 2,027

-6.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$2.06 VES 1,840

-29.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$1.31 VES 1,171

4.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$1.50 VES 1,337

-28.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$2.53 VES 2,254

-78.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$3.71 VES 3,313

19.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$10.91 VES 9,743

67.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$1.40 VES 1,250

26.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$2.20 VES 1,967

30.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.31 VES 281

367.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$4.11 VES 3,670

-63.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$1.52 VES 1,361

-48.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$5.93 VES 5,290

-35.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$0.73 VES 652

104.11%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$44.6K VES 39.8M

-39.73%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$49.2K VES 43.9M

-46.47%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$97.8 ฿3,265

$12.43 VES 11.1K

686.89%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.29 ฿377

$10.35 VES 9,235

9.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$30.13 VES 26.9K

-42.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$29.77 VES 26.6K

129.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$15.15 VES 13.5K

-27.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$4.96 VES 4,429

49.80%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$530 ฿17.7K

$87.0 VES 77.7K

509.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$2,440 VES 2.2M

669.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$74.6 VES 66.6K

-17.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$42.01 VES 37.5K

-32.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$98.5 VES 88.0K

-2.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$96.3 VES 86.0K

-9.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$136 VES 121.1K

431.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$91.5 VES 81.7K

456.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$222 VES 198.1K

778.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$192 VES 171.5K

626.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$1,192 VES 1.1M

251.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$1,216 VES 1.1M

171.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$286 VES 255.3K

71.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-77.72%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Merida: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Merida

$91 11.2% 82% $417

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Merida

$287 35.3% 7.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Merida

$53 6.5% 58.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Merida

$140 17.2% 14.2% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Merida

$190 23.3% 58.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Merida

$40 4.9% 52.3% $43

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Merida

$13 * 1.6% 80.3% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $136 in Merida. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 72% higher in Phuket. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $59 in Merida. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $287 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇪 Merida

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

17:19 5:19 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

250,303

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

10,000 VES = 11.2 USD

10,000 VES = 9.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 893 VES (1,000 VES = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 1,002 VES (10,000 VES = 9.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Merida 17,850 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Merida

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Phuket vs Merida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 59% more than Merida, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,221 in Merida. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Merida, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $136 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $814 in Merida. That makes Merida about 37% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $87 in Merida. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,294 in Phuket and $814 in Merida. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Merida – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Merida. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.